Democratic Party to Revamp Comprehensive Farmland Survey, Seeks to Ease Farmers’ Concerns Ahead of Chuseok

[Financial News] The Democratic Party of Korea is moving to draw up supplementary measures for the government's comprehensive farmland survey. After pushing to revise real estate tax policies and the owner-occupancy requirement in land transaction permit zones, the party is also seeking changes to farmland policy—an effort seen as aimed at preventing further alienation of public sentiment ahead of the Chuseok holiday.
According to political sources on the 17th, the Democratic Party of Korea's Policy Coordination Committee on Agriculture, Forestry, Livestock, Food, Oceans and Fisheries will hold a party-government consultative meeting with the government on the 21st to review the progress of the comprehensive farmland survey. Attendees are expected to include Yoon Joon-byung, the Democratic Party of Korea's secretary on the National Assembly Agriculture, Forestry, Livestock, Food, Oceans and Fisheries Committee, and Song Mi-ryeong, minister of the Ministry of Agriculture, Food and Rural Affairs (MAFRA).
The party and government are expected to share the survey results and discuss supplementary measures reflecting concerns in rural communities over farmland disposal and compulsory performance charges.
The government and local governments conducted a basic survey using administrative data from May 18 to July 31, covering 1.36 million hectares of farmland acquired since January 1, 1996. A total of 2.84 million plots, or 27.0% of all surveyed plots, were classified as farmland suspected of violating the Farmland Act through illegal leasing, unauthorized fallowing and other practices.
If farmland is not disposed of without a legitimate reason despite receiving a farmland disposal order, a compulsory performance charge equivalent to 25% of the higher of its appraised value and officially assessed land value is imposed. This has raised concerns in rural communities about falling farmland prices and the burden of compulsory performance charges.
The Democratic Party of Korea has also publicly acknowledged the need to improve the system. Kwon Chil-seung, the party's policy committee chair, said that day, "It is true that some farmers are experiencing inconvenience because of the comprehensive farmland survey."
Kwon said, "The survey results should be used, as originally intended, to punish clear acts of farmland speculation. Minor violations arising from routine farmland use in rural communities should instead be addressed through guidance and institutional improvements. I ask that measures be prepared promptly so that the farmland survey project can proceed in this direction."
The Democratic Party of Korea, however, drew a line under the People Power Party's attacks, which characterize the comprehensive farmland survey as the "seizure of farmers' land." Kwon warned, "We sternly warn against the People Power Party's continued distortion of facts and far-fetched sophistry," and criticized Jang Dong-hyuk, saying, "Party leader Jang Dong-hyuk is inciting farmers' anxiety and misleading the public about government policy by resorting to sophistry that the government is portraying farmers as speculators and taking away their farmland."
The Democratic Party of Korea has recently pursued a series of policy revisions. After leading efforts to partially reduce the tax burden on nonresident owners of a single home, it also proposed that the government grant an additional one-year grace period for the owner-occupancy requirement imposed on homebuyers in land transaction permit zones, and the proposal was adopted.

[email protected] Kim Kyung-min Reporter